Manchester United are preparing to battle Arsenal for the signing of a goalscoring machine rated at £80million, Everton have started initial talks over an impressive Serie A raid, while Tuesday’s Euro Paper Talk reveals another Chelsea transfer has been confirmed.
DUSAN VLAHOVIC WANTED AT OLD TRAFFORD
Man Utd are set for a transfer war with Arsenal after locking onto Dusan Vlahovic as a second striker signing, according to a report.
Erik ten Hag has already bolstered his forward ranks with the addition of Wout Weghorst this month. He has terminated his Besiktas loan to join Man Utd on a temporary basis until the end of the season.
Weghorst, who will wear the number 27 shirt, will provide Ten Hag with a different option from the bench when he needs to change Man Utd’s style of play.
However, as he is 30 years old and only joining on loan, Weghorst is not a long-term striker solution for Man Utd. As such, they must look at younger, more deadly attackers to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo.
And according to The Faithful MUFC, who cite reports coming out of Italy, Ten Hag has landed on Juventus’ Vlahovic as his ideal striker arrival in January.
He was in fantastic form last season, notching 29 goals in all competitions for Fiorentina and Juve together. Arsenal hoped to sign him in January 2022, but Juve beat them to the punch.
Vlahovic started well this campaign, finding the back of the net seven times in 15 games. He is currently recovering from injury, but that is not stopping talk of his next transfer from ramping up.
Arsenal were recently tipped to make a £71m bid to sign him. But according to the latest report, Man Utd will also push to try and complete a deal with Juve. As such, the two Premier League giants look set to battle it out for the Serbian.
Man Utd interest sets up Arsenal transfer tussle
In a major blow for Arsenal, Man Utd are planning a significant proposal to snare Vlahovic. They are ‘intent’ on signing him and will therefore meet his £80m asking price.
Vlahovic moving for this sum would see Juve make a decent profit on him. They spent around £67m to take him to Turin a year ago.
Juve would like to keep Vlahovic for the remainder of the season. They believe he will continue to have a big impact once he returns from his groin problem.
But Vlahovic’s agent, Darko Ristic, is taking a different approach. He will apparently listen to all the offers ‘with interest’. Ristic knows this is a great opportunity for his client to potentially become a Man Utd hero and replace Ronaldo at the Theatre of Dreams.
Vlahovic will have a big decision to make if both Man Utd and Arsenal come calling this month. Man Utd are on the up, having won their last nine matches in all competitions. They could get involved in the Premier League title hunt and win a trophy in a different competition, too.
But Arsenal are a similarly attractive proposition right now. Mikel Arteta has got his team firing on all cylinders and they are in a good position to win their first Prem title since 2003-04.
As both clubs can offer Vlahovic potential success, his choice may come down to money. And while Ten Hag has set a wage cap at Man Utd of £300,000 a week, the Red Devils still have enough money to pay Vlahovic a better salary than Arsenal.
EVERTON PLOT TOP-QUALITY SIGNING
Everton have begun preliminary talks as they look to sign striker Duvan Zapata from Atalanta. The Colombian has registered 80 goals in 174 games for Atalanta. (Tuttomercatoweb)
Tottenham have three or four goalkeepers on their list of potential replacements for Hugo Lloris. (Fabrizio Romano)
West Ham have scouted Troyes striker Mama Balde on two occasions in recent weeks. (Foot Mercato)
Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has turned down the chance to manage Salernitana. (Sky Sport Italia)
Manchester City are set to meet with Julian Alvarez’s agent to discuss an improved contract for the World Cup winner. (Dario Montero)
Raphinha will reject any advances from Arsenal this month to remain at Barcelona. (Mundo Deportivo)
CHELSEA TRANSFER CONFIRMED
RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl has confirmed Christopher Nkunku will join Chelsea this summer. (Bild)
Dutch pundit Hugo Borst has completely changed his mind on Man Utd, saying his previous criticism of Ten Hag is now ‘laughable’. (AD)
Unai Emery wants Aston Villa to sign former Watford ace Gerard Deulofeu from Udinese. And the 28-year-old didn’t play against Bologna at the weekend as he wants the transfer to go through. (Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttomercatoweb)
Arsenal’s contract renewal discussions with Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are looking ‘very positive’. (Fabrizio Romano)
Sporting Lisbon are gradually warming to Pedro Porro’s prospective move to Tottenham and are already looking at replacement options. (O Jogo)
Heerenveen technical director Ferry de Haan has stated Fulham are interested in landing the Netherlands’ World Cup keeper Andries Noppert. (Soccer Nieuws)
JURGEN KLOPP HAS FULL LIVERPOOL SUPPORT
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp continues to be backed by the Anfield board, despite recent struggles on the pitch. The Reds will not make any more big signings this month, as they look towards a summer deal for Jude Bellingham. (Florian Plettenberg)
Although, Dortmund are hopeful of tying Bellingham down to a new contract by making him the best-paid player at the club. (Sport1)
Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu is wanted by Marseille and Monaco. (Jeunes Footeux)
Valencia are in negotiations with Brentford over the signing of Sergi Canos. (Super Deporte)
Memphis Depay’s lawyer has denied claims the Barcelona forward could join Inter Milan. This will come as a boost to Newcastle, who are hoping to land him. (Fabrizio Romano and Football Insider)
Barca are hoping to sell former Man City defender Eric Garcia so they can register new contracts for Ronald Araujo and Gavi. (Sport)
